William Thomas Calman facts for kids
William Thomas Calman (born December 29, 1871 – died September 29, 1952) was a Scottish zoologist. He was an expert in studying crustaceans, which are creatures like crabs, lobsters, and shrimp. From 1927 to 1936, he held an important position as the Keeper of Zoology at the British Museum (Natural History), which is now known as the Natural History Museum in London.
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Early Life and Education
William Thomas Calman was born in Dundee, Scotland. His father, Thomas Calman, was a music teacher.
He went to school at the High School of Dundee. During his time in Dundee, he became interested in science.
Starting His Science Career
Calman met another famous scientist named D'Arcy Wentworth Thompson at local science groups. Thompson saw Calman's talent and hired him as a "lab boy." This special job allowed Calman to attend university classes at University College, Dundee for free.
He worked hard and graduated with high honors in 1895. After graduating, he stayed at the university as a lecturer for eight years, teaching others about science.
Working at the Museum
Later, Calman moved to London to work at the Natural History Museum. He started as an assistant curator in 1904, focusing on spiders and similar creatures (Arachnida). Soon after, he became the assistant curator for crustaceans and Pycnogonida (sea spiders). Eventually, he became the Keeper of Zoology, a very important role in the museum.
Big Discoveries in Crustacean Science
Calman made many important contributions to the study of crustaceans. In 1909, he wrote a major section on crustaceans for a large science book called Treatise on Zoology. In this book, he introduced new ways to group crustaceans, creating categories like Eucarida, Peracarida, and Hoplocarida. He also came up with the idea of the caridoid facies, which helped scientists understand how different crustaceans might have evolved from a common ancestor.
He also wrote several articles about crustaceans for the famous Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition. Calman also helped to set up the modern way of classifying a group of small crustaceans called Branchiopoda into four main orders: Anostraca, Notostraca, Conchostraca, and Cladocera.
Awards and Retirement
In 1921, William Calman was chosen to be a Fellow of the Royal Society, which is a very high honor for scientists. He was the first person to achieve this after graduating from the University of Dundee.
Calman retired in 1936 and moved to Tayport. However, he returned to teaching during the Second World War at Queen's College, Dundee, and St Andrews. He was also the president of the Linnean Society, a famous group for natural history, from 1934 to 1937. In 1946, he received the Linnean Medal for his outstanding work.
